The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project is a university-chartered research center
associated with the Department of History of The George Washington University

John F. Kennedy to Eleanor Roosevelt

December 29, 1958

PERSONAL

Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt
202 56th Street West
New York 19, New York

Dear Mrs. Roosevelt:

Thank you for your letter of December 18, 1958. I am disappointed that you now seem
to accept the view that simply because a rumor or allegation is repeated it becomes "commonly
accepted as a fact." It is particularly inexplicable to me inasmuch as, as I indicated in my last
letter, my father has not spent any money around the country, and has no "paid representatives"
for this purpose in any state of the union - - nor has my father ever made the statement you
attributed to him - - and I am certain no evidence to the contrary has ever been presented to you.

I am aware, as you must be, that there are a good many people who fabricate rumors and
engage in slander about any person in public life. But I have made it a point never to accept or
repeat such statements unless I have some concrete evidence of their truth.

Since my letter to you, I assume you have requested your informants to furnish you with
more than their gossip and speculation. If they have been unable to produce concrete evidence
to support their charges or proof of the existence of at least one "paid representative" in one state
of the union, I am confident you will, after your investigation, correct the record in a fair and
gracious manner. This would be a greatly appreciated gesture on your part and it would be
consistent with your reputation for fairness.